Swiss vacationers jump on the ‘no kids’ holiday trend

Heading off for a child-free holiday (unless the kids are in the suitcases). Dragos Condrea / Alamy Stock Photo

The popularity of “adults-only” holidays has surged in the past five years, RTS reports, with many restaurants, hotels, cruises and campsites now offering vacations without a child in sight.

For those looking for a relaxing, child-free holiday, “no kids” variants have been around for a decade or so, although demand has notably grown in the past five years. More and more destinations – and tour operators – now offer vacations reserved exclusively for over 16- or 18-year-olds.

In the US, even Disneyland has adapted areas of its theme parks to become adults only. Booking platform Airbnb also plugged the format in its latest ad campaign, which showed a couple (of adults) trying to relax next to a pool, until a horde of kids jumps into the water and turns their holiday into a nightmare.

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Varied clientele

François Sancho, director of sales for the Kuoni travel agent in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, says he has clearly observed the growing popularity of such holidays among Swiss customers too. However, he prefers to use the term “adults only”, which sounds less insulting for certain parents, he told Swiss public broadcaster, RTS.

“Parents themselves are the are most eager for these types of holidays,” he said. “When you’ve been stressed the whole year, if you then manage to leave your child with family or friends for a few days, you can have the chance to recharge, pamper yourself, read a book on a beach, eat a romantic dinner, do some sports – basically, everything which is difficult to do otherwise”.

Young newly-wedded couples and older people are also fans of the no kids travel. For the latter especially, “most have already experienced two generations of children – naturally, they now want some peace”, Sancho said.

Less-radical variants also exist, travel agent Sancho added. “For example, some places accept children over 12, or over 16, because they assume that after a certain age kids become more autonomous. Other resorts operate a hybrid system, where one area is for families, while in another – dubbed “zen” – the apartments, rooms and restaurants are reserved for adults. This system allows parents to relax in the morning while the children splash around in the pool.”

The price of peace

However, such holidays are by default more expensive. “The [child-free] experience can be classified as ‘luxury’ or ‘premium’, since often facilities are top-quality and allow 100% relaxation,” Sancho said.

Ultimately, he added, “these days, we realise that we are living in a relatively stressful world; this type of establishment is responding to a need, and to people who want to relax”.

Translated from French by Domhnall O’Sullivan